Monday, January 12, 2015

Mini Apple Tarts

We are not really dessert people. I am much more of a give me salt! But, Steve's brother makes this great apple pie filling. He can can, pickle, preserve anything and he does it well! Every year he gives us a few jars of this thick spiced apple filling. It is so good. In the past we've made roasted pork with it and used it as ice cream sauce. This year I need a dessert for Christmas and turned to the sauce for inspiration.

I decided on mini tarts. I picked some puff pastry dough, pre-made I am not that adventurous in baking. You let it thaw for a while, then cut it into strips and then squares. The with each square take a pairing knife and draw a square around the edge. Make sure to leave room around the edge to make the well and don't go all the way through the layers, just score it. Then in the center of your drawn a few square poke holes with a fork, this will keep the center from puffing up.

Transfer the dough squares to a parchment lined pan. I also sprayed the pan just to make sure they didn't stick. I then topped each center square with the pie mixture. Do a quick egg wash over the edge. Then place in a 350 degree oven to bake for until golden brown. This should be about 15 minutes.

They turned out perfect. The edges puffed up making a well of gooey goodness. They lasted for days which made great breakfasts for after Christmas. Now I know not all of you will have a brother-in-law that drops of jars of goodness, but this could be made with any jam or fillings. Now go try it out.